House Speaker Greg Fergus is calling on lawmakers to improve their behavior after last Thursday’s Question Time went off the rails.
Tensions flared last week between NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre, with Singh at one point walking into an aisle of the House of Commons chamber and yelling at the Conservative leader.
On Monday, Fergus reminded lawmakers that they are in the House to represent the people in their constituencies.
“The last time I was speaker here, there were some questions that were not related to the running of government, there were some words that were outside the bounds of what is acceptable in our parliamentary system, there were some actions that were outside the traditions of parliament,” Fergus told lawmakers ahead of Monday’s question period.
“I expect our legislators to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the voters who sent us here to represent them.”
Speaker Greg Fergus told lawmakers that the language and attitude the House witnessed during Thursday’s question and answer session was “contrary to parliamentary tradition.” Fergus said he hoped to say more “in the coming days.”
Poirierbre began last Thursday’s question-and-answer session by criticizing the New Democrats and the Bloc Quebecois, asking why the parties would not support a Conservative motion to topple the Liberal government.
Questions during the Q&A session should be directed to the government. According to House procedureAfter Poirièvre’s first two questions were directed at the Bloc party, the ministers stood up and stopped answering.
Fergus repeatedly pointed out that the questions should have been directed to the government, but was forced to return to Poirierbre for further questions, a situation he described as “unpleasant”.
In his fifth question, Poirievre accused Singh of breaking a governing agreement with the Liberals in an attempt to retain his seat in the Winnipeg by-election earlier that week.
“Once the votes were counted, he betrayed them,” Poirievre said, accusing the NDP leader of aiding the Liberals in order to secure his own parliamentary pension.
“He’s a liar, a hypocrite and a con man. Who can believe anything this traitorous NDP leader has to say anymore?”
During Thursday’s question and answer session, Conservative Leader Pierre Poiriervre asked two consecutive questions of New Democratic Leader Jagmeet Singh, rather than the ruling Liberal Party. The questions caused Singh to stand up and shout at Poiriervre. The House of Commons cameras do not capture Singh, but Poiriervre can be seen shouting back at him. Speaker Greg Fergus restored order and said MPs needed to “operate by the rules.”
Witnesses said Singh stood up while Poirierbre was asking questions and began yelling at the Conservative leader.
As Poirievre took his seat, angry exchanges erupted in the House of Commons between Conservative and New Democrat lawmakers.
Singh left his seat, walked into the aisle and shouted at Poirievre. Two members of the House of Commons who were in the room told CBC News that Singh said, “I’m here,” while another said they heard the NDP leader say, “I’m here.”
As Fergus tried to restore order, Poirierbre was seen on camera pointing in Singh’s direction and repeatedly saying “do it”.
After the exchange, Fergus called on lawmakers to respect parliament’s long-standing traditions, but did not ask them to retract their comments or offer an apology.
Monday’s question period was much more subdued, but when Singh rose to ask his first question, several Conservative MPs shouted “comrades”. Fergus interrupted Singh, asking MPs not to interrupt those with the right to speak.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and New Democratic Party Leader Peter Julien told The Canadian Press they want Fergus to do more to curb the shenanigans they say are tainting the decorum of the House of Commons.
